Buddy vs. Big Buddy Heater

[caster]

I was looking at these heaters (some on sales now) and I'm considering upgrading from my Mr. Heater/Cooker to one of these units. I have an Eskimo Kwikflip III and with the kids in the shack, I get a little worried about them getting into the Heater/Cooker since the whole thing is hot.

Are people happy with the Buddy heater or should I really consider getting the Big Buddy? Thanks for the opinions.

[Gus]

With the kids fishing with you I would get the Big Buddy. Cold kids make for short(er) trips. I've got both big and little and for most times I use the little buddy but I can take it a little chilly in the shack. Little buddy does just fine most of the time but in a bigger shack I would not expect to be pealing clothes off much. The fan option in the big buddy is also very nice. It circulates the heat which also helps in a bigger shack. I'm speaking of my experiences in a Fishtrap Voyager.

[Augusta]

caster,

I purchased a Big Buddy a few months ago and am looking for another one. Can you let me in on where they are on sale? Thanks.

[Eckie]

I have the Buddy and a Mr. Heater. While I like the compact size of the Buddy, I'm not impressed with its' performance. If it's calm outside and at least 15-20 degrees above zero, it'll work fine. Otherwise, I'd stick with the Mr. Heater for warmth, especially with kids. I use these in a Frabill XLT. I'd recommend the Big Buddy in a heartbeat over the Buddy.

[caster]

Thanks for the advice. I agree, the Heater/Cooker works great. I find myself turning it off because I get too hot. My concern is the heater burning the kids or the kids knocking it into the shelter.

Augusta, I saw that Fleet Farm had the Buddy Heater on sale this week for $59. I don't remember what the Big Buddy was priced at. I just started to pull the ice fishing gear together last night and was thinking about buying a new heater this morning. I'm going back to see if the Big Buddy is also on sale. I'll let you know.

[Wookiee]

The big buddy sale was 2 weeks or a week ago either way they were on sale for $90.

[Eckie]

I'm sure many guys have thought of this, but my father-in-law uses a Mr. Heater that he mounted at an angle on a 12"X12" piece of plywood. He then connects it to the tank using a 6ft hose. This way the tank sits outside the house, and the heating unit sits flat on the floor (usually right under our arses). The heat rises and keeps the house very warm. I hear ya though, about it getting too warm at times...hopefully the Big Buddy is a nice "middle-man" and will do the trick for you. Let us know..

[DEADhead]

go with the Big Buddy, and buy the hose extension so you can run the heater off of your 11 lb tank. I run a buddy heater and it is fine on the warmer days, but not so warm on the 20 below days. I am going to install fans to circulate air, and that should help the problem. The fan on the Big Buddy should help as well. The main reasons I went with the buddy heaters over the sunflowers is so that nothing will get burned, and so I don't have to smell propane all day or get CO poisoning. If you plan on having cookouts I'd still bring along that sunflower though.

[Jeremy airjer W]

There are two different hoses. One has a fitting that allows you to thread it into where the 1lb tanks would go. The other has the R.V. quick connect fitting. From what I hear this is the better way to go since the regulator on the R.V. connector takes less pressure to open. On those really cold days propane doesn't like to evap into a gas so there is lower pressure in the tank. I have the one that threads into the one pound fitting and have yet to have a problem but I think this year I might switch to the quick connect style. Besides that my hose has had about 5 years of hard use it may not be a bad idea to replace it anyways?

[Tripleplay]

I use the Buddy in a Fishtrap Guide (two people) which has a lower ceiling I believe than your Kwikflip. It is more than sufficient and in fact I seldom if ever have it even running on high in my house.

It is doing double duty as my deer stand (enclosed) heater this season again and it is barely sufficient. The stand is 4'by 8' by about 7' so it is a large area to heat. It definitely has an impact but it is by no means real warm or hot in there---I'm hoping to add a Big Buddy in the future for this role.

[charliepete2]

I've got the Big Buddy and it gets my Otter Magnum Lodge piping hot on it's lowest setting. If I ever get two screens on it's like being in a suana. Buddy heaters are great for deer blinds or ice houses, but they are worthless in the wind. I'd go with the Big Buddy. After all, you can always run it on low.

[EBass]

Hubercita hit the nail on the head. Big Buddies are wonderful, unless you want to use it outside and there's wind. Be sure to pack in the house as the wind will sneak in and mess with the pilot light. You'll see, but otherwise they are sweet.

I run mine with 1 lbers when I'm walking out, but when it's safe enough to drive I use the hose and 20lb tank.

[wolfman-k]

Airger, thaks for the tip on the quick connect. Last Winter I had trouble with my tank when it was -20 and I ended up starting my Big Buddy with 1 pounders and warming the 20 pounder inside for a while so the gas would flow. Another thing I do is I carry a small wand lighter like you would use to light a grill, it's a great way to light up your heater on those cold days when matches are hard to keep lit. I think a new quick connect hose will be on order shortly, thanks.